


Kirby And Their Two Dumbass Dads

by splatoonjoycon



Category: Kirby (Video Games), Kirby - All Media Types
Genre: BUT for any new people, He’s not too major of a character here, Kirby is like 3-6 years old in these, Like . only chapter 25 has it, No particular order!, Okay so everyone who’s been following this fic, So? Oops who’s that?, Technically there’s some mentions of death but that’s Galacta and like??, The marukabi is super super minor, This is a collection of one shots, Whoops gotta edit the tags lmao!, You guys know what the fuck is going on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-26 03:42:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 16,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14393550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/splatoonjoycon/pseuds/splatoonjoycon
Summary: After the tragic death of Sir Galacta Knight of Dreamland, Galacta’s child Kirby has been left to Sir Meta Knight and King Dedede.What could possibly go wrong?(This is a collection of one-shots of Meta and Dedede having no clue how to care for children and Kirby being the most perfect and valid baby ever.)





	1. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby catches a cold, and Meta Knight is left to take care of them. Unfortunately, he does not know how to take care of a sick child in the slightest. 
> 
> Meta learns that Kirby’s got a case of separation anxiety through this experience.

Meta Knight did not know how to take care of sick children. Hell, he didn’t even know how to take care of himself when he was sick! And now poor Kirby, the sweetest child Meta’s ever had the grace of knowing and parenting, was now sick in bed with a cold. Meta pushed the hair off of Kirby’s sweat-slicked forehead, his hand lingering for a moment to check their fever. Still much too high. Hopefully it won’t stay so high..

Kirby stirred awake slowly, trying to piece together their situation. They were in their room.. in bed.. their whole body ached.. and Mommy was there with them. Well, at least there was that.

“Mommy..? Mommy, why’s it so hot in here..” Kirby asked drowsily, their voice raspy and dry from coughing throughout the night. Meta Knight sighed. How he wished that he could take Kirby’s fever away.

“It’s because you’re sick, Kirby.. Do you want anything to make you feel better?” Kirby shook their head. They pulled the blankets down to their waist so that they wouldn’t be so hot and sweaty. Meta Knight didn’t like Kirby’s answer. They needed medicine, and the sooner the better. 

“Kirby..” Meta sighed. “You need medicine. Just bed rest won’t help you. I’ll be right back with it..” Meta Knight wasn’t even out the door when Kirby burst into hysterics, sobbing aloud and reaching for Meta Knight from their bed.

“Mommy- Mommy, don’t go! Mommy, poyo, I need you, don’t go, please don’t leave, poyo..” Kirby wailed, desperate to keep Meta Knight by their side. This tactic worked rather well, as Meta immediately stopped in his tracks and turned right around to comfort Kirby, scooping the poor angel up into his arms and rubbing their back.

“Hey, hey, hey.. I’m not going anywhere, okay? I’m right here, I’m right here..” Meta Knight cooed, trying to calm Kirby down. He’s not sure what caused Kirby to get so upset so fast, they’ve always been a very calm and happy child.. This really came out of nowhere. Kirby continued their crying, shaking in Meta’s arms profusely. 

“Mommy, Mommy don’t go.. don’ want you to go away, poyo..” Meta Knight’s heart ached for this poor child. Kirby’s done nothing but love and care for others, yet fate causes them to cry like this.. Poor thing. Meta Knight wishes that he could make Kirby feel perfectly happy all the time.

“Don’t worry, dear heart, I won’t go.. I’ll stay right here with you.” Galaxia’s really imprinted on Meta Knight’s parenting, hasn’t she? Kirby was beginning to calm down. And with that, they also were beginning to fall asleep as well. Meta Knight was glad for both of those things.

Once Kirby was asleep, Meta Knight laid them down and kissed their forehead, tucking them in and leaving the room to get some medicine. He’d have to ask about why Kirby had that crying episode later, but for now.. Meta had to focus on the present. And the present was getting Kirby’s health back to normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! You made it to the end of that shitshow! Now for explanations!
> 
> -Kirby calls Meta Knight ‘Mommy’ because they’re very young and didn’t process the ‘m’ sound as ‘Meta’, but as ‘Mommy’. Don’t ask me how that misconception came to be. It’s because I said so.


	2. Meet The Crew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta Knight takes Kirby to see the Halberd, and once you’re on the Halberd, you can’t avoid the crew.
> 
> Or: Kirby meets the gang of weird uncles (and one weird grandpa) that is the Halberd crew.

“Ooooh, they’re so cute! I love babies, oh my stars, look at theeeem! Can I adopt ‘em, please, boss?” Axe Knight cooed, fawning endlessly over Meta’s kid. He didn’t even know the kid’s name, and they were easily the highlight of their whole life. Meta Knight was.. amused with Axe’s behavior. 

“No, you cannot adopt Kirby, I already did- hey, where are you going?” Meta Knight said as Kirby parted from his side and walked over to Axe Knight. Meta sighed. Kirby was too easily charmed. Axe laughed and easily pulled the kid up onto their shoulders.

“Ha! See? Kirby likes me more anyways, they’re my kid now!” Axe Knight teased. His kid now! Fuck you, Meta Knight! Kirby seemed very offput by this statement, and pulled a face at Axe.

“Don’t say that! I love Mommy very much and I love you very much so I don’t like anyone more! Hmph!” Kirby crossed their arms. Axe Knight didn’t process any of that sentence other than the fact that Kirby called his boss ‘Mommy’.

“Mommy? They call you Mommy? Oh my stars, that’s so goddamn cute, I’m gonna CRY-“

-:-

“So.. what’s your name, son?” Captain Vul was the next to find Kirby (not that they’re hard to find: the kid is a lot louder than they like to believe). 

“My name is Kirby! K-I-R-B-Y!” Kirby stared eagerly. How Vul kept a straight face through this was completely unbelievable. This kid was so cute! How is he not melting?

“Well, Kirby.. do you like candy?” Kirby did not just like candy. They LOVED candy. So much. Fuck. Kirby ecstatically nodded, way way too excited to get some candy. Vul couldn’t help but crack a smile at the child’s excitement, and slipped a butterscotch into Kirby’s hands. 

“Thank you very much, mister! Mommy doesn’t let me have candy a lot, only healthy things.. It’s boring!” Vul raised an eyebrow. Who is this ‘Mommy’ character?

“Mommy? Well, who’s that?”

-:-

 

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you the- Wait, who are you?” Sailor Waddle Dee was next to notice. Well.. they didn’t really notice, they just bumped into the child while walking through the halls of the ship (do battleships have halls?). 

“I’m Kirby! Mommy brought me here!” Kirby stated proudly. They didn’t know who this new, orange haired man was, but they had a funny hat, and that made them trustworthy in Kirby’s eyes. 

“Mommy? Who’s your- Oooooh. Wait. I know who he is, never mind.” Sailor Dee figured it out pretty fast, considering that the kid had Meta Knight’s jacket in their arms. “So, why did your mommy bring you here?”

“Because Papa Dedede’s at a con.. com.. _com-fer-ance_ somewhere and he can’t leave me at home all alone!” Sailor Dee’s heart swelled at this child. So cute! 

“Oh, is that so? Well, it’s great to have you here, Kirby, and you’re welcome back anytime you want.”

-:-

“Now, say _kamikaze_!” Javelin Knight definitely could not be trusted around small children. 

“Uhh... I love Mommy!” Kirby didn’t necessarily have the best pronunciation skills, but they were like 5, could you blame them? Javelin found this endlessly endearing. 

“Ohhh, you love Mommy? That’s so good, you did so good, you’re perfect...” Javelin Knight pulled Kirby into a hug, causing giggles to erupt from the small child. Tiny children, Javelin’s only weakness.

“Oh, you aren’t allowed to be this adorable! You’re too perfect!” Javelin squeezed Kirby, not wanting to ever let go. Kirby was just such a ray of sunshine! You never want to be away from them once you’ve met them.

Javelin only reluctantly let go of the kid when his boss came by and pried him off.

-:-

Meta Knight and Kirby left around 7pm after a long day of working and.. not working. 

“So, did you have fun, Kirby?” Meta Knight asked, looking down at the child clinging onto his hand. Kirby nodded frantically.

“Yeah, I had lots of fun! I even learned a new word! It’s like.. uhm.. Oh! _Kah-mi-kaah-zee _!” Kirby pronounced the word slowly.__

__“..Kirby, remind me to have a good talk with Javelin Knight the next time we go to the Halberd.”_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this, because I need to make up for being so dead lately! I hope you enjoyed Kirby’s adventure and the new word that he learns. Maybe in later chapters, he’ll get better at pronouncing it..


	3. I’m Here, I’m Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A familiar face appears in the doorway.
> 
> (Note: this chapter isn’t canon to the AU, it’s more like a what-if scenario. Have fun crying!)

There was something that confused most of Dreamland about Sir Galacta Knight’s death. There was no body to be found. The only evidence they had of his passing were Meta Knight’s words and his beaten-up mask, and that was enough for the people.

Though, the words Meta Knight spoke to the crowds that fateful day were lies, even if he did not know that they were. 

Galacta Knight aimlessly wanders the halls of Castle Dedede, catching glimpses of his beaten reflection in the polished floor tiles.

The sound of a child’s wailing fills his ears.

Not just any child, _his_ child. His sweet baby who did not deserve to cry or hurt. 

Galacta slowly walks towards the sound, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. After all, he has been presumed dead for months now. Or has it been a year? Galacta couldn’t tell. He peeks into a small room with soft rugs and warm, comforting colors covering the walls and bedspreads. And what he sees shatters his heart of stone.

Inside the room is his poor baby, Kirby, sobbing into their knees. They appear to be sick with some form of a cold, with tissues surrounding them on the bed and different brightly colored bottles of medicine covering the nightstand. It was not long before Galacta Knight found himself entering the room, pulling his child up into his arms in a comforting embrace.

“Hey, hey, hey.. Shhh shh shh, it’s okay, don’t cry.. I’m here now.” Galacta spoke quietly, almost in a whisper. Kirby could not process what was happening. Mommy told them that their Papa was gone. Never coming back. But, Papa was right here..

Kirby did not speak, only continuing to sob into Galacta’s armor. Galacta slowly rocked his angel of a child in an effort to calm them down and lull them to sleep. His efforts were paid off as Kirby drifted into a peaceful, quiet sleep in Galacta’s arms. The knight smiled as he laid Kirby back in their bed, kissing their head gently. 

“Until next time, my sweet child..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for ripping out your heart and stepping on it lmao


	4. Movie Night Draws to a Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After 3 long, long runs of Disney’s Frozen, everyone is finally falling asleep. Except for Dedede. 
> 
> Someone’s gotta carry the other two to bed, right?

Dedede did not expect this movie night to drag on so long. He thought that Kirby would’ve fallen asleep at least a little earlier than midway through the third run of _Frozen_ , but that kid has mad energy. Even so, that energy runs out eventually, and Kirby now slept quietly in Meta Knight’s lap. As for Meta himself, he was nearly asleep himself, leaning against Dedede’s side. 

“Mety, are you asleep?” Dedede asked quietly. He’d seen Meta Knight sleep with his eyes open once before, so he couldn’t be too sure anymore. Meta shifted slightly with a nod, signifying that he wasn’t sleeping with his eyes open again. Thank Nova, that was fucking scary. 

“Nn.. No, I’m not.. not asleep.” Meta Knight slurred, tired as all hell. Whether it was from listening to _Let It Go_ for the eight thousandth time or his general day-to-day duties, not even Meta Knight knew. Dedede wasn’t sure if Meta’s sleepy voice was worrying or adorable. Maybe both?

“C’mon, let’s go to bed, you need to rest.” Dedede waited for an objection from his husband, but received none. All he got was a tired nod yet again, and with that, Dedede carried both Meta Knight and Kirby off to bed. 

After tucking Kirby into bed, Dedede and Meta Knight finally have some time to themselves. As much as they loved Kirby (which was so, so very much), it was always nice to have some alone time. 

“Hey, Mety.. you know I love you a whole lot, right?” Dedede asked quietly. It was somewhat of a whisper-yell, but hey, it’s quieter than Dedede’s regular voice.

“Mhmm.. what brings on this.. all of the sudden..?” Meta Knight whispered, staring back up at his husband. This proclamation of love was very out of the blue. Yes, Dedede was _constantly_ telling Meta how much he loved him, but never in this.. unsure way.

“I’ve jus’ been away for a while with all these conferences, an’ I know you’ve been here alone.. An’ I just want you to know I love ya is all.” Dedede squeezed Meta Knight in his arms. He’s glad that Meta isn’t mad at him or anything! That would be awful, his Meta Knight ignoring him and glaring and such.

“That’s all fine.. Dedede, you being away for a few days isn’t gonna affect our relationship. It’s been.. hundred of years. I do love you, Dedede, no amount.. amount of conferences is gonna change that.” Meta Knight wasn’t sure if that sounded bad due to his tired speech, but he’s sure the message got across. 

“Aw, that’s all I needed to hear. Yer such a sap, I love you..” Dedede was sure he’d get some sarcastic remark from his husband... had he not fallen asleep. Oh. Well, maybe he’ll get that once Meta wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the Metadede, there’s not enough of this ship :,)


	5. Bad Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby has a bad dream, and since Meta’s out cold already, Dedede is left to deal with it. 
> 
> This chapter occurs just before the events of ‘Kirby’s Adventure’, and that’s why the Fountain of Dreams isn’t keeping Kirby from having a nightmare.
> 
> Also, this chapter is a continuation of ‘Movie Night Draws to a Close’, keep that in mind!

Dedede was restless still. Even in the late hours of the night, he still could not find himself even the slightest bit drowsy. To keep himself busy (and away from any bad decisions), Dedede continuously kissed the top of Meta Knight’s head and watched the knight’s occasional reactions. Dedede observed that sometimes he’d shake his head to try and get Dedede to stop, but after a while of no kissing, Meta would nuzzle his head into Dedede’s chin to get him to continue. All in his sleep. How Meta did that, Dedede will never know. 

It wasn’t too long before something interrupted Dedede’s kissing. The quiet but growing sound of footsteps, coming towards the bedroom doors. There was only one person who would come to their doors this late: Kirby. Dedede carefully maneuvered himself out of Meta Knight’s grasp and walked to the door, slowly opening it to a teary-eyed, frowning Kirby. Dedede kneels down to be at eye-level with the child.

“What’s wrong, Kirby? Did something happen?” Dedede asked gently, putting a hand on Kirby’s shoulder. Kirby nodded slowly, tears continuing to flow like rivers down their face. Dedede may not have noticed them, had the glimmering rays of the moon not illuminated them. 

“Had a bad dream, poyo.. You ‘n Mommy and Pa-apa were there, and then you all went away, into those b-big boxes, and- and into the ground, poyo..” This description shattered the King’s heart into a million, jagged little pieces. Kirby was clearly talking about coffins when they mentioned ‘big boxes’. The poor, sweet child was just afraid of their loved ones dying and leaving them alone forever. 

“Oh, that’s terrible, I’m sorry about that, sweetie pie. You wanna sleep with me ‘n Mommy tonight?” Dedede asked. Kirby responded with a nod yet again, leading Dedede to scoop them up and carry them into bed. As careful as he was not to wake Meta Knight, Meta still groggily opened his eyes to see the crying child laying down at his side, and was immediately upset by the sight. Though, instead of asking what was wrong, the knight only pulled Kirby into his arms and held them close to try and console them. Dedede joined in on the holding, ending up with both Kirby and Meta in his arms. 

It wasn’t long before Meta Knight and Kirby were asleep once again, leaving Dedede to his thoughts. How could Kirby have had a nightmare? Was that a Halcandran thing? Galacta Knight was Halcandran, and he had nightmares sometimes.. and that would make Kirby Halcandran as well.. No, that couldn’t be it. Those nightmares were reported to have happened on missions outside of Dreamland. Maybe the Fountain of Dreams was just out of whack? He’d have to go and check that out. But, in the meantime.. Dedede’s got some head-kissing to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the positive feedback! It really encourages me to keep writing this. That, and my undying love for this AU. I love Kirby, he’s such a valid baby.
> 
> I’m also going to be updating the first chapter to accommodate the new headcanon for Kirby I’ve added: ‘Poyo’ being a nervous tic for them.


	6. Nap Time!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby swears that they have been sleeping right, but.. It’s just so nice and warm here, perfect for a quick nap..

Kirby was rather bored today. Mommy was away on the Hal.. Helb.. Help-bird? No, that couldn’t be it. Oh well. He was away at work, and Papa Dedede was away too. Kirby was left to some Waddle Dees, but said Waddle Dees had ditched Kirby fast (may Nova have mercy on their souls when Dedede finds out). Leaving Kirby to wander Castle Dedede with nothing to do, dragging around their stuffed friend. And then they remembered: the garden! The castle gardens were always so much fun, there were so many nice colors and smells and sometimes there were other people there to talk to! And so, Kirby set off for the gardens by themselves. 

The gardens were just as entertaining as Kirby could remember. They made some flower crowns out of the wilted flowers (even if they were falling apart, the wilting flowers deserve to feel pretty, too!), watched the caterpillars and butterflies crawling about on the flowers, and even put their feet in the koi fish pool (only after looking around to make sure no one would see them breaking the rules). 

The minutes turned to hours before Kirby even knew it, and soon enough, Kirby was very tired from all the adventuring in the sun they’d done. They wanted to return to their nice, cozy bed with all the soft blankets and stuffed animal friends, but.. It was just so nice and warm in the garden, and the setting sun was too pretty to miss. So, Kirby laid down on the grass with their stuffed toy and watched the sun set and the stars come out.. and fell asleep. It wasn’t Kirby’s fault, the grass was just so soft and the cool summer breeze was blowing through the wind chimes so beautifully, like a lullaby, lulling them to sleep before they even knew it.

Meta Knight was home soon after the dark night had graced Dreamland with an array of stars, and immediately wondered where Kirby could be. He checked Kirby’s bedroom, but they weren’t in there like they were supposed to be. Hmm. Where could they be? Meta Knight checked all over the castle, and was awfully worried for his poor cotton-candy haired child. Where were they? Meta spotted a few Waddle Dees, and immediately ran over.

“Excuse me, but have you seen Kirby anywhere? They aren’t anywhere around the castle, I can’t seem to find them..” Meta Knight asked in a panic. One Waddle Dee chimed in, having seen the child a few hours ago.

“I saw ‘em heading towards the gardens, you might wanna check there, Sir.” How was not obvious? Kirby loved the gardens, if they could spend every waking moment in there, they would. After a quick ‘thank you’ to the Waddle Dees, Meta Knight quickly headed towards the gardens. It didn’t take long for Meta to find the child, sleeping peacefully in the grass with their wilted flower crown and plush doll, feet coated with dirt and pollen and.. was that water from the koi fish pool? Meta would have to ask about that. Either way, the sight made Meta’s heart swell, it was so cute! If only Galacta could see this. After all, he loved the gardens just as much. 

Though.. Meta was sure he was watching over Kirby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating, I’ve been having writer’s block! Here’s some cute sleepy baby Kirby to make up for it.


	7. Clearing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The garden isn’t only a place for fun.
> 
> It’s also a place to mourn those who we have lost.

“Papa, can you hear me?” 

Kirby sits in a clearing of willow trees in the garden, where a small gravestone is placed. It reads: 

“Here lies Sir Galacta Knight of Dreamland.  
Knight, Father, Husband  
May he rest peacefully forever.” 

Fiery red butterflies swarm the clearing at all times, covering the stone and studying the child next to it.

Kirby does not care for what the stone says. They only care for what’s six feet below it. 

“I drew you a picture. Do you wanna see it?” Kirby pulls a folded piece of paper out of their pocket. They unfold it, revealing a crayon drawing of Kirby and Galacta, having fun in the garden together. How Kirby wished this picture could be a reality. 

“I miss you, Papa, poy. Do you miss me, too?” Kirby swears they heard the wind, whispering in their father’s voice, replying ‘yes’ to them. They feel a raindrop on their head, then another, then another.

“You should come up here, and we can paint together and read and have ice cream with Mommy and Papa Dedede. That would be really fun.. especially with you.” Poor Kirby still could not grasp that Galacta Knight was gone, never to return from the ground. Hot tears begin to pour down Kirby’s face.

“Papa, poy, why don’t you come see me anymore? Do you still love me, poyo? I wanna see you, I miss you..” Kirby sobbed, letting the rain pour down on their head. _Are the clouds crying too?_ , Kirby thought. The rain picked up quickly, and soon enough, Kirby was soaked both in the rain and their own tears. 

Galacta watched Kirby from above, unable to so much as talk to them. He so wished he could interact with the child. His poor baby. They didn’t deserve this. They didn’t deserve to cry in the rain for their father to come and scoop them up and tell them it’s okay. 

..How Galacta wished that things were okay.

Galacta floated down to Kirby’s side, and began to hum a tune. A Halcandran lullaby that Galacta would sing to Kirby as a baby. The butterflies gather around Galacta, swarming him and trying to land upon him, but failing to do so. Galacta wishes his butterflies could touch him, even one last time as well. Kirby could not hear Galacta’s voice as anything but a soft whisper or the wind blowing through the tangling leaves of the willow trees surrounding them. Or a slight break in the silence. 

As expected, Kirby did not respond.

Though, there was a slight calm gracing the air in that moment. The eye in the storm of grief and mourning. And magically, the rain lets up, leaving Galacta’s lullaby coursing through the wind chimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	8. A Dark Sunflower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Kirby saw was very strange. A dark, floating sphere with one big eye and some orange.. petals? Was it a flower? Oh, Kirby just loves flowers, they just had to get closer to see it..

Dedede returned home to chaos. Waddle Dees were running around all over the place, hiding from something in the castle. Crashes could be heard down the hall.. near Kirby’s room. Oh dear. Whatever that.. that _thing_ making all the noise couldn’t have found Kirby, right..? The kid was very apt at hiding. Though, this invader did seem to be able to get into everything.. Either way, Dedede was not going to stand around and wait to find a bloody mass of pink hair and fabric to realize, and barreled down the corridor to Kirby’s room. He peeked inside to find no child, only burn marks and strange patches of black.. substance, all over the carpet. Dedede has only seen that ooze once before: when he was possessed by.. 

No. 

This couldn’t be happening.

Poor Kirby could not have been found by Dark Matter. 

They didn’t deserve this.

They didn’t deserve any of this.

Dedede immediately ran up and down the castle halls, calling for Kirby and pleading with whatever had possessed them to leave Kirby alone, to take him instead. It seemed like an eternity before Dedede stumbled upon the child, yelling in some ancient language not even the eldest in Dreamland could understand. Poor, sweet child. Why did they have to endure this pain? Dedede walked over slowly so as to not provoke Kirby, kneeling down once he was close enough.

“Kirby? Kirby, can ya hear me? I-I know you’re in there somewhere, please, just listen to me-“ Dedede was cut off by Kirby whipping their head around. Their face and clothes were coated with scratches and gashes from the falling rubble around them and the same black sludge from the carpets, and their darkened eyes were in a haze of anger. 

“ **Do you wish to stop me?** ” Kirby said monotonously. It sounded so strange to hear that coming out of Kirby’s mouth, with their cute, innocent voice. 

“Listen, I don’t know _who_ or _what_ ya are, but please, fer the love of Nova, give me my kid back. They mean the world to me, you can possess me if ya want, just don’t take Kirby. They’ve been through too much already.” Dedede pleaded. This speech caused Kirby to begin shaking their head, crying out, stumbling about like they were being pushed.

“Stop it! Get out- **Resistance is futile, pitiful child-** I don’t CARE! I wanna see Papa Dedede and Mommy, I wan- **You will not win this. You are one of us n-** STOP IT! No I’m not! I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna be a part of you..” Kirby and the possessor argued, continuing to stumble about and kick and scream. After a few minutes of fighting, a thick fog erupts from Kirby’s mouth and flies out through the shattered window, leaving Kirby breathless, scared and confused on the floor. Dedede rushed over in an instant. 

“Kirby! Kirby, are you okay? What happened?” Dedede was not at Kirby’s side for two seconds before the child burst into tears. 

“I-I saw a thing in the- in the garden, poy, an’ it look- poy, looked like a-a flower, and i-it went- poyo, in m-my mouth an’ I couldn’t mo-move.. ‘M sorry for hurt- hurting you, Papa, poy- Papa Dedede..” Kirby cried, shaking profusely. Dedede’s heart shattered. He knew what possession was like, and it definitely fucked him up. Just imagining what it would do to a small child like Kirby made him want to cry. Dedede pulled Kirby into his lap for a tight embrace and began to rock them back and forth.

“Shhh, it’s okay.. Don’t worry, that thing isn’t gonna hurt you anymore, they’re never coming back for you, honey..” Dedede hoped that what he said wouldn’t be a lie. Dark Matter was persistent, and now that they’ve found an entity as powerful as Kirby, they’d never leave them alone.

For now, Dedede could only pray.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve really been on a kick with writing sad / bittersweet stuff, haven’t I?
> 
> I’ll write something cute next, trust me.


	9. Sacred Blade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby’s never heard that voice before. It was so.. beautiful! And it was talking about Mommy! Kirby would just have to investigate this graceful voice, and see who it belongs to..

Kirby was _very_ busy making a building block tower in their room late at night when they first heard the voice. An angelic voice that carried a sweet tune when it spoke, bringing a sudden calm to anyone who is lucky enough to hear it. It immediately made Kirby stop building and stand up to search for the source of this beautiful voice. They grabbed a blanket to wrap around their shoulders (it was cold!) and set out in the direction of the sound, eventually finding who spoke so beautifully. The sight of them made Kirby stop in their tracks. 

The source was a tall woman with shimmering golden curls, a flowing gown of the same metallic tone and dark skin graced with glistening ruby freckles. She had kind eyes and a wide smile when she talked. Kirby didn’t recognize her. Who was this goddess-like woman, and why was she here? It wasn’t long before she noticed Kirby, and she walked over to speak to them. 

“Hello, dear child. What is your name, and what are you doing up so late?” Dear Nova, the voice was so much more beautiful up close. 

“Oh, I’m Kirby! An’ I was buildin’ a block tower, an’ then I heard you, an’ I had to see who was talking!” Kirby stated. The woman couldn’t help but crack a smile at Kirby. Children were so pure and wonderful, she could remember when Meta was innocent like this. So cute.

“Well, my name is Galaxia, it’s very nice to meet you, Kirby. And you were building a block tower? Would you like my help?” Galaxia. Kirby had heard that name before..

“Hey, I’ve heard about you! Mommy talks about you a lot! An’ yes, I would like some help with my block tower.” Mommy? Mommy?! Kirby calls the strong, respectable Meta Knight _Mommy_?! That’s so cute! 

“Oh, I’m sure that your Mommy does talk about me a lot. I’ve helped him to become a lot stronger. Now, let’s go back to your room and work on that block tower.” Kirby nodded, taking Galaxia’s hand in theirs and began to walk back to their room. Once inside the colorful room, Kirby sat themselves and Galaxia down by their already quite tall block tower. The only source of light in the room at this point was the glowing of Galaxia’s tight, golden curls.

“Well, this is a quite impressive block tower. You’re very good at this, aren’t you, sweetheart?” Kirby’s eyes glowed with pride. They nodded, then handing Galaxia a block so they could continue the block tower. 

After about twenty minutes of building, Kirby began to doze off. They yawned every few minutes, and their eyes would flutter between open and closed. Galaxia easily noticed this, and went to move Kirby into bed.

“Dear heart, it’s time to sleep. We’ve had our fun building, but you’re going to be very tired tomorrow if you don’t get your rest.” Kirby only nodded in response to this, allowing Galaxia to lift them into bed and tuck them into the soft blankets. She gently kissed Kirby’s forehead and began to walk towards the door. 

“Good night, dear heart. Sweet dreams.” And with that, Galaxia left, taking her warm light with her. 

Kirby dreamt of Galaxia that night. She brought back Papa and they all played together in the sun..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised you fluff, and that’s what you get!


	10. Back Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby’s having strange pains in their back, in two very specific places. Meta Knight knows exactly what’s going on.

“Mommy- poy, Mommy!” Kirby cried through the halls of the castle. They’d woken up in the middle of the night in awful pain. It felt like there was something stabbing through their back in two different parts, and it was _terrible_. Soon enough, Meta Knight was awake and headed towards the source of the crying in the halls. He quickly stopped down to Kirby’s level, putting his hands on their shoulders.

“Kirby, what’s the matter? Are you hurt?” Kirby nodded, then pointing to their back shakily. 

“M-My- poyo, back.. something i-in my back, poy..” Those words set off alarms in Meta Knight’s head. But, not the kind of alarm that goes off to signal the apocalypse. No, it was the kind of alarm that would wake you up before something exciting and fun. Meta asked Kirby to turn around and pulled up their shirt, and what he saw was greatly exciting.

Kirby was growing wings! 

“Oh, don’t worry Kirby, this is very normal. You’re going to get your wings soon.” This completely changed Kirby’s mood. Their eyes lit up, and they reached under their shirt to feel for wings. There weren’t quite wings yet, but there were small bumps where the wings would come out.

“Wings! That’s so cool! I can’t wait, I can’t wait! How do I make them come out?” Kirby was not very patient. Meta Knight couldn’t help but to crack a smile. Had he been this restless about his own wings? 

“You’ll just have to wait for them. Should only take a few more days, now you should go back to bed. If you sleep, they’ll come faster..” Kirby gasped, and rushed off to bed in an instant, wanting their wings to come as fast as possible. Meta Knight laughed under their breath. He was so blessed to be able to care for this child.

The next few days were very, very long for Kirby. All they wanted to do was sleep, because Mommy said their wings would come in faster if they got more sleep! Kirby spent more time napping and sleeping than playing and having fun, and it was slightly concerning to both Meta Knight and Dedede. 

“Mety, do you know why Kirby’s sleepin’ so much? It’s not like them to sleep all the time.” Dedede asked quietly, so as to not disturb the sleeping Kirby just in the other room. 

“They’re sprouting wings, and they want to get more sleep because they think it’ll make their wings come in faster.” Meta Knight stated plainly.

“Well, who gave ‘em that dumb idea?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for 500 hits! It really means a lot to me that you guys like my work, and I’m gonna work hard to make this the best fic ever!


	11. Butterfly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby didn’t mean to hurt themselves! They just fell while they were having fun chasing butterflies in the garden near the clearing and they scraped their knee on a rock, it’s not their fault..

“Hey, d’you hear that?” Axe Knight said. Him and the other Meta-Knights had gone to Castle Dedede for.. business purposes (definitely not the donuts that were rumored to be there) when Axe and the other heard a strange noise.

“It sounds like.. crying? Oh dear, you don’t think it’s Kirby, do you?” Sailor Dee responded. It definitely did sound like a child’s crying. And it was coming from the garden, it seemed. 

It was almost as if the entire crew had that realization all at once, because they all set off for the castle gardens within an instant. It didn’t take very long for them to find the source of the sound, which was Kirby. Unfortunately. They’d fallen scraped their knee on a rock, and was too upset to walk back to the castle to find their parents. Poor thing! Mace Knight stepped forward.

“Hey, kid, it’s okay! ‘S just a scraped knee, you’re gonna be okay..” Kirby directed their attention towards the group in front of them, and continued their wailing. Mace Knight kneeled down to Kirby’s level, and asked them what happened.

“I-I was runnin’- poy, around where Pa-Papa is, and I s-saw a big, re- poyo, red butterfly-y, an’ I chased it an’ I-I fell..” Kirby sobbed. The rest of the Meta-Knights gathered around Kirby, all trying to comfort them at once. This overhwlemed the child, and Captain Vul easily noticed this, shushing the crew in an instant.

“Shh! All of you! You’re overwhelming them! Now, Kirby, would you want us to take you to your parents?” Vul asked calmly. Kirby nodded, then attempting to stand up and promptly falling back down due to their injured knee. Axe Knight immediately ran over to scoop Kirby up and put them on his back, carrying them back into the castle with the rest of the crew.

Kirby was certain that today was going to be very bad because they hurt themselves, but.. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. Not with all these friends, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading ! I haven’t updated in a while because I’ve been very stressed out with some personal issues. They’re still going on now, but writing’s been helping.
> 
> Also, can you figure out why there are so many _red_ butterflies near the clearing in the garden?


	12. Sure, Whatever, I Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meta Knight and King Dedede had an... interesting wedding.
> 
> Based on an ask I sent @radiantseraphina on tumblr (go follow her account on here too @RadiantSeraphina, her writing is GOOD), it’s just too funny not to write.
> 
> In case you couldn’t tells will be Metadede heavy. Have fun with this.
> 
> Also, when there’s a —, it signifies a flashback to the wedding.

“Mommy! Hey, Mommy!” Kirby pulled in the end of Meta Knight’s cape, obviously with a burning question on their mind. Meta turned around, smiling at his eager child.

“What is it, Kirby?” Meta Knight kneeled down to be at eye-level with Kirby. He hoped that nothing was wrong..

“Are you an’ Papa Dedede married?” Well, that was straightforward. And it wasn’t anything hard to answer, so that’s relieving.

“Yes, we are married.” This only rose more questions in Kirby’s mind. They’d only ever been to the wedding of some distant cousin of theirs, and that was a long time ago, so they wanted to know if other weddings were different.

“Ooh! When? Where? Did you have cake? Didja kiss? How big was the cake? How many people were-“

“-Kirby. Calm down, I’ll tell you how we got married, okay?” Kirby instantly settled down, sitting on the ground and staring up at Meta Knight eagerly. Meta prayed that Kirby would never get taller than him, but.. He knew his prayer would not be answered.

“Well.. first of all, it isn’t really what most people think of when they think ‘wedding’..”

—

It was nearly 3 in the morning, and Dedede still could not find himself asleep. Damn hotel mattress, it was not nearly as easy to sleep on as the cushiony mattresses of Castle Dedede. Though, his boyfriend seemed to have no trouble sleeping. _Meta Knight could sleep on a bed of nails without complaining_ , Dedede thought to himself. He tried to think of places in the hotel that he could go to that wouldn’t be closed at this hour. The bar was closed, so was the pool, and the fitness room was undesirable despite its availability.. And then it struck him. The 24 hour chapel in the lobby. Dedede knew exactly what he wanted to do. He looked back down at Meta Knight, who was clinging onto Dedede’s arm.

“Yo, Meta. Hon. Wake up, we got somethin’ to do.” Meta Knight stirred awake very slowly, very confused and somewhat agitated at his sleep being disrupted. 

“Nn? What.. what do we have to do at this.. this hour?” Meta Knight slurred and yawned through his sentence, demonstrating just how tired he was to Dedede. However, Dedede Dededidn’t care whatsoever about that. He was a man on a mission.

“We gotta get married. Right now.” Meta Knight processed next to none of this statement. Usually, Meta wouldn’t even respond to a request of this stupidity level. But.. sleep-deprived, half-asleep Meta was a very different man.

“Hmm? Okay, sure, let’s go..” Dedede was surprised. Pleasantly surprised, but surprised nonetheless. Meta was actually going along with his spontaneous marriage plan? Is this real?

“Sweet! Let’s go, sweet-cheeks, the priest-guy ain’t gettin’ any younger!” Dedede was about to scoop Meta Knight up and run out to the chapel, but Meta stopped him to grab Galaxia. It _was_ their wedding, Galaxia deserves to be there. Dedede didn’t hesitate to grab Meta after Galaxia was remembered, immediately running out the door and to the lobby.

It took them almost no time at all to get to the chapel. The priest was most certainly surprised to see the young King of Dreamland and his top knight come racing into his chapel in their pajamas like that. He straightened himself out and greeted the two.

“Bonjam- I-I mean.. Hello! What do you two need?” The man straightened out their glasses. Dedede stopped to wake Meta Knight up again and catch his breath.

“We needa’ get married! Like, now!” This was shocking to the priest. Marriage? At this hour? In a _hotel_ , nonetheless? The King must be desperate.. 

“I- Juh- ..As you wish.” 

The service went mostly as normal. Well as normal as a wedding at 3am could go, with Meta Knight constantly falling asleep and having to have Dedede hold him up at all times. 

“Do you, King Dedede of Dreamland, take Sir Meta Knight to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“‘Course I do!”

“And do you, Sir Meta Knight, take King Dedede of Dreamland to be your lawfully wedded husband?”

“Hmm? Sure, whatever, I do..” 

Their ‘honeymoon’ did not consist of much. Dedede just dragged Meta Knight out to the Taco Bell down the street. Meta had fallen asleep twice into this endeavor already, landing face first into his nachos each time. Dedede lifted his new husband’s face out of the plate for the third time.

“Meta, are you happy that we’re maaaarried now?” Dedede asked, staring at Meta Knight lovingly from across the table. Meta did not share this look, only staring blankly at his husband.

“Sure, okay... Mhmm..” Meta Knight was too tired to process this event. He’ll probably be pissed at Dedede the next morning, but.. For now? At least Dedede’s happy. 

—

“And we’ve been married ever since. Lots of people thought we’d have a proper wedding after, but.. I think that our wedding was appropriate. Even if I don’t remember a lot of it.” Kirby clapped, very amused by this story.

“Yay! Good story! Are you happy with him?” Meta Knight couldn’t help but blush.

“..Yes. Very happy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm, I sure wonder who that priest could be? Must be from Jambastion.. Hey, a religious man from Jambastion, doesn’t that sound familiar?


	13. Language Barrier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby’s been very upset today, but nobody knows why! They won’t stop speaking in this strange, foreign language that nobody knows..

Meta Knight and Dedede were stumped. They didn’t know what to do at this point. Nothing with Kirby had ever been too difficult up until now (sans the Foot In A Pringles Can incident). They gave Kirby blankets, they made them food, tried putting them down for a nap, but none of it worked! What was wrong? Usually, Kirby was very vocal about being upset, and they were still being vocal now, but.. Not in the right language. Kirby had been wailing in ancient Halcandran for nearly 4 hours, and neither of their parents knew what to do. Neither Meta nor Dedede didn’t speak the language, nor did they have any understanding of it, so this was quite the situation they were stuck in.

“Kirby, please tell us what’s wrong.. We don’t understand Halcandran..” Meta Knight pleaded. Up until now, he didn’t even know that Kirby could speak Halcandran. He’d have to start learning some time in case Kirby ever starts to speak it primarily. Meanwhile, Kirby continued crying and wailing in, you guessed it, Halcandran to their parents ail. 

“Are ya hungry? D’ya want somethin’ to eat?” Dedede asked. Kirby didn’t stop their crying to respond, and that was taken as a yes, so Dedede scooped the child up and ran to the kitchen with Meta Knight trailing behind. Dedede sat them on the kitchen counter and tried to give them some yogurt, but they shook their head at it. He tried this with a multitude of snacks, all with the same response. That.. must not be it.

“Okay, so you aren’t hungry.. Do you need a nap? Are you tired, dear?” Meta Knight asked quietly. Kirby only gave a Halcandran response, so Meta carries them off to their bedroom and laid them down in bed, tucking them in and waiting for a response. It was not a good response, only more Halcandran sobs and cries. Meta sighed and lifted Kirby out of bed with their blankets, sitting down against the wall with Kirby in his lap. He tried rocking them to calm them to no avail, and got the same results from rubbing their back. Meta was on his last limb by the time Dedede came in, and he began to tear up himself. 

“Hey, hey, hey.. Now, don’t you start cryin’ too, Mety..” Dedede kneeled in front of the two. It was a little too late for Dedede’s sentiment, as Meta Knight was already crying by now. Dedede pulled both Meta and Kirby into his lap (he has a very big lap, that’s perk #1 of being super tall) and kissed their heads, rocking them back and forth. This wouldn't have calmed Kirby in their current state, but.. Then they saw that their mommy was crying too. Kirby wrapped their arms around Meta.

“Sorry, Mommy- poy, I’m sorry..” Kirby pleaded quietly. Meta Knight looked down at them, and couldn’t help but shakily smile. He ruffled their hair.

“It’s okay, Kirby.. You’re fine. I’m fine. It’s fine..”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gonna have a lot more time to write now that I’m on summer break. I have many ideas! Stay tuned.
> 
> Now it’s time for some explanations.
> 
> \- Kirby is crying in ancient Halcandran because when they were cared for by Galacta, they would mainly speak the language at home, and they wouldn’t cry much outside of the house, so they only ever cried in this language.  
> -Kirby is still holding on to behaviors from when they lived with Galacta because this chapter takes place.. about a month or two after Kirby comes into Meta and Dedede’s care. This is also why Meta doesn’t know that Kirby knows Halcandran.  
> -Kirby is upset because they ripped a stuffed toy that was very important to them.  
> -Kirby calls Meta ‘mommy’ in the chapter still, even though it’s very early-on in the timeline because they learned to call him this very, very soon after they came into Meta and Dedede’s care. About a week after, probably. Kirby wasn’t still mourning then because they were about 3 when Galacta died and didn’t understand that he’d never be coming back, so they picked up that behavior without distraction from sadness.


	14. Where’s He Going, Mommy?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby was confused. Why was Papa in that weird box.. and why were they burying him? He’ll be so scared when he wakes up..

Kirby didn’t understand what this gathering was for. They thought it was a party at first because there were many people in fancy clothes, but.. Everyone was so sad. Not one person was smiling. _This isn’t going to be a fun party,_ Kirby thought as Meta Knight walked them to the procession.

“Mommy, what’s happening? Why’s everyone so sad?” Kirby asked, pulling on Meta Knight’s sleeve. Meta cast Kirby a sad look at their question. Poor, naïve child..

“We’re saying goodbye to your Papa, Kirby. Everyone is sad because.. because we’re all going to miss him.” Meta Knight had to pause to keep his composure. Kirby was still confused.

“But where is he going? He just got back from his.. Hm.. his _mihh-shiin_.” Kirby had trouble pronouncing the word ‘mission’. Meta Knight would usually find this endearing, but.. Now was not the time.

“He’s going to.. a better place.” Kirby did not like this answer. What place could be better than with them?

“He doesn’t wanna stay with us?” Kirby asked, hoping to be proven wrong. People around them started to realize who’s pink-haired child this was, and looked at them sadly. 

“I’m sure he wants to stay, but he has to leave..” Meta Knight was on the verge of breaking. He didn’t want to in front of Kirby though, he had to stay strong for them..

“Why does he ha-“ Kirby was cut off by the sound of synced footsteps from behind them. They turned around to see several men in uniforms carrying a large, hexagonal box. They place the box on a stand, and one man stands apart from the others to speak. He talks about Galacta, and the other men open the casket to reveal him. Hundreds of red butterflies flock to the corpse immediately. Kirby’s eyes light up.

“Papa!” Kirby tries to run over to the coffin, but Meta Knight grabs their hand and pulls them back. He shook his head. Kirby thought that meant that Papa was sleeping, and he shouldn’t be bothered. After a while, the coffin was lifted off the stand and began to be buried. The butterflies flew away in a storm of flashing red. Kirby didn’t understand this once again. 

“Mommy, why are they burying Papa? He can’t train if he’s buried, Mommy, tell them to stop..” Kirby pleaded, repeatedly pulling on Meta Knight’s sleeve. It was getting harder and harder for Meta to keep his cool. He lifted the poor child up into his arms and held them. 

“Mommy! They’re burying him, he needs to train when he wakes up, he told me! PAPA! WAKE UP!” Kirby wailed, flailing about in Meta Knight’s arms. Meta had given up staying strong and was crying as well, along with many onlookers. 

Poor, pitiful child. If only they knew.

The bells ring a solemn toll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I finally remembered to put my tumblr here so that you guys could talk to me. It’s @zanlesbianne for anyone interested!
> 
> Back to the chapter. This is the first chapter on the timeline, though I’m planning one that occurs earlier. I’ll write out a solid timeline later! 
> 
> This chapter is also heavily based on Maes Hughes funeral from Fullmetal Alchemist. I’ve never watched the show, but that one specific scene was in a compilation video I watched and it got my fic gears grinding.


	15. Kirby Says The Darndest Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby says the funniest damn things sometimes. 
> 
> Meta Knight’s gonna have to start carrying a camera for those.
> 
> (Every — signifies a new flashback/memory/whatever.)

“Kirby, can you tell Papa Dedede why you’re crying?” Meta Knight asked, trying not to laugh. Dedede did not see what was so funny. Why would a crying child be funny?

“Be- Because I’m four!” Kirby cried, continuing to cry on the kitchen floor. 

“Because you’re four?” Dedede asked, now realizing that this was pretty funny. 

“Yeah!! I wanna- wanna be five!” Kirby looked hopefully up at their parents, wondering why they were smiling like that. This was a very serious matter!

“I can’t make you five, sweetie..” Dedede said. This was met with yet another cry and Kirby laying on the floor in defeat. They’ll just have to wait until their birthday.

—

“Kirby, what’re ya eating there?” Dedede asked, approaching the child sitting at the table, covered in blueberry yogurt. There was yogurt all over their face, clothes, hair and the table as well. 

“Yogurt!” They replied, continuing to messily eat their snack. Must’ve been some pretty good yogurt.

“Don’t you think you’re making a little bit of a mess?” Kirby didn’t even look up from their yogurt to reply.

“No..” 

—

Kirby and their new friend, Prince Fluff, happily giggled about something clearly exciting while drawing on the sidewalk with chalk. Meta Knight went to investigate, but before Meta could even ask anything, Kirby had some rather exciting news to tell him.

“Mommy! Me ‘n Prince Fluff are getting married!” Kirby said, jumping up and down.

“Oh, are you? When are you getting married?” Meta Knight asked, amused. Kirby and Fluff’s wedding would probably still be nicer than his own.

“Uhh.. uhm.. After our wedding!” 

— 

Kirby and their parents had taken a trip to Patch Land, where Kirby had immediately wanted to see Treat Land. The kid really wanted to see a world full of snacks! And.. apparently, a magician was performing. A magician who chose Kirby as their assistant! Wow! What a day. 

“So- Kirby, is it? Are you married?” The magician, dubbed the Great Squashini, asked the child jokingly. They passed the mic to them. 

“Yes!” Kirby replied, resulting in laughter from the audience. Squashini was certainly surprised. Maybe they could continue this gag..?

“Well then! I certainly didn’t expect that. You got any kids?” The mic once again is passed to Kirby.

“Yes. I have two.” Kirby answered, causing the audience to laugh once again. 

“Wow! Married with two kids already! Is your husband here?” Kirby nodded, pointing to Prince Fluff in the audience. That certainly shocked the audience. Their prince was already married! And he was three! 

“Hi, Fluffy!!” Kirby waved to Prince Fluff in the audience, and got equally enthuiastic waves back.

“Hi, Kirby! I’m hungry..” Children, folks. 

—

Meta Knight and Dedede had been wondering if Kirby would like to have a sibling. It must be lonely being the only child in the castle, after all, and Meta and Dedede can’t always be around anyways. Though, they wanted to ask first.

“Do you want a brother or a sister, Kirby?” Meta Knight asked. Kirby seemed to think about it for a moment. 

“Puppy!” Well then. The answer to that question was clear.

“A puppy?” Meta Knight replied through his laughter. Kirby only nodded. He’ll have to take Kirby to the pound sometime soon, then.

— 

Kirby and their babysitter’s daughter (also Kirby’s new friend), Ribbon, sat in the car on their way to a movie. But, Kirby had some questions for the girl.

“Are you gonna behave?” Kirby asked. Ribbon seems appalled at the question. She was quite the handful.

“No way!” She replied, crossing her arms. Kirby looked out the window in response.

“Well fine then, _I’ll_ behave.” What a nice kid. Behaving so Ribbon doesn’t have to. Friendship at its finest. 

—

Meta Knight and Dedede were known to have their occasional arguments. Those two can argue about anything, the Waddle Dees would say. At the time, the two were arguing over what can and can not go in the microwave, when Kirby came running in in their pajamas, clearly grumpy about their nap time being disturbed. 

“What is your pob-a-lum? I’m trying to nap!!” Kirby’s distress was met with laughter. The tension from seconds ago practically evaporated. Kirby was good at doing things like that. 

“Oh, were you? Well, we’re sorry.” Dedede replied, kneeling down to be at Kirby’s height. Kirby sighed dramatically before stomping off to their room again.

“Geez! The nerve of some people!” Who taught this kid these words?

—

It was getting late, and Kirby was still playing with their toy kitchen set. Dedede was about ready to go to bed, he’d ‘eaten’ enough plastic corn on the cob for today.

“Okay, time to go to bed. Right now.” Dedede said. Kirby turned around, shocked. After a few moments, they replied matter-of-factly.

“I’m tidying up!” Kirby said, picking up some plastic food and putting it in the toy set’s drawers. Dedede was not having this mischief.

“No, you’re stalling. Come on, you have to go to sleep.” Kirby continued to pick up their toys, ignoring Dedede.

“Papa Dedede, I have to clean up.. You wanna see more mess?” 

—

“There’s food everywhere!” Kirby was very observant! There was, in fact, food everywhere.

“Oh, no..” Meta Knight replied, playing along.

“I have to clean it up before Fluffy gets here!” Kirby then started to pick up the food and eat it off the floor and chairs. Galacta taught them such good manners.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: says I’m gonna update more  
> Also Me: doesn’t update
> 
> Sorry guys! I’ve been working on my new fic ‘Gem Knight’ more than my humble beginnings.


	16. Reunited At Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galacta, like many others, had some secrets.
> 
> Mostly involving his love-life.

Morpho was beyond worried. Galacta had promised to be back within a week from his mission.. And he has now been gone for a month. The Underworld was very lonely without him visiting.. Galacta and all his kisses and affection were always welcome in the Underworld. And with Galacta being a knight, he could get seriously hurt! Or lost forever! Or.. 

Or the unthinkable could happen.

Though, Morpho wasn’t one to talk. They were a knight themselves. Or at least, that’s what they would be called by. They were seen more as a Grim Reaper type of being, guiding spirits to the Underworld. They weren’t sure why that gave them a knight title, but they _did_ look like a knight, with all their armor. And the sword.. 

Well, now was not the time to worry about all that. The sun was setting now, and it was time to do what Morpho did best (other than being the gayest butterfly in Dreamland), and that was lead the land’s spirits to their eternal resting place in the Underworld. Too bad for those spirits. The Underworld got boring fast. 

Morpho started their (long, long) walk through Dreamland as they did every day; with Castle Dedede. There was something about the way the castle looked at sunset that was just so.. beautiful. Plus, Morpho knew that Kirby would be staying in the castle while Galacta was away, and while Kirby was not their own child.. They still cared very much for them. They wanted to watch over them and make sure that they were well. On their walk past the castle, Morpho stumbles upon someone who they were _very_ glad to see. 

“Galacta!” They exclaimed, running forward to their beloved for a hug. Galacta seemed caught off-guard, but happy to see Morpho nonetheless. As soon as they jumped at him, Galacta caught Morpho in the hug they so desired. Galacta was awfully glad that he was so goddamn ripped. And that Morpho was so tiny. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to lift them up like that! And that would be a travesty. 

“Hello again, little butterfly! How’ve you been?” He greeted Morpho with his usual big smooch on the lips. Galacta was still a little shaken by.. Well, everything that just happened to him, but he didn’t want Morpho to worry just yet. He can explain later. 

“I missed you, that’s how I’ve been! Where were you all that time? You said you’d be back in a week..” Morpho asked, pulling away from Galacta’s bear hug for just a moment to look at him. 

“Well.. This may be hard to explain but-”

“Wait.” Morpho cut Galacta off mid-sentence. They felt his face in many different places, confused at something about it. “You’re cold. Did you go somewhere cold? We should go back home, so you can warm up..” Galacta was almost hoping Morpho would realize what happened to him so that he wouldn’t have to say it. He knew it would break Morpho’s heart, and it would be easier if they realized themselves. 

“Morpho, I didn’t go anywhere cold..” Galacta set them back on the ground. This was going to be.. hard to say. 

“Why are you so cold then? Usually, the living have very warm..” Morpho took a moment to realize what was really going on, and it hit them like a brick. “No. No, you didn’t.. You..” Morpho wasn’t even able to get the entire sentence out. They stood frozen in place, unable to process the situation. 

Galacta was _dead_.

Galacta had a feeling that Morpho would react this way. He picked them up for another hug to try and console them. Keyword: try.

“I know. You’re shocked. We’ll be okay, though. I’ll be okay.” Galacta tried to reassure Morpho. Morpho was not having that bullshit.

“Galacta, you’re _dead!_ That’s- You-“ Morpho took a deep breath. “Are you feeling okay? I know that.. well, dying can be rough.” They cupped Galacta’s face in their hands. 

“I’m okay. I’ll be fine. Are _you_ okay?” Galacta didn’t want Morpho to worry, there’s already so many other things they worried about. He just wanted the person he loved most to have some peace of mind. 

“Of course I’m okay. You’re the one who died, nothing happened to me..” Morpho rested their forehead against Galacta’s, closing their eyes.

“Why don’t we go home now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess I gotta tag the morphogala now. Oh well, this ship needs more content and I’m here to provide (very minorly, at least for this fic).


	17. How Things Used To Be / Should Have Been

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galacta Knight loved his kid more than anything in the world. Nothing could take Kirby away from him.
> 
> No force in the universe could do that.

Sir Galacta Knight was known to many as a fierce warrior. To his enemies, a force to be reckoned with. A man of no mercy or remorse. To many foreign planets, he was known as a threat. They knew to never wage war against Dreamland unless they’d like to onset his wrath. 

But.. To a certain pink toddler, Sir Galacta Knight was the best Papa in the whole universe. A kisser of boo-boos. A sharer of ice cream. A piggy-back ride giver of the highest caliber. He had many dazzling titles in Kirby’s eyes. 

Unfortunately, best hide-and-seek player was not one of them. 

Kirby hid between the bookcase and the couch in a small corner- their usual hiding spot when playing hide-and-seek with Papa. It was a very good hiding space, as Papa never seemed to be able to find them! Kirby found it silly how Papa was so big and strong, but still couldn’t find them by looking over the couch and into the corners. Papa could be so funny!

Meanwhile, Galacta Knight walked around his home in circles. He knew exactly where Kirby was hiding: in the corner between the bookshelf and the couch. That’s where they hid every single time. But, Galacta knew how good Kirby felt about being able to ‘hide from him so well’. So, Galacta tracked around the house for a good fifteen minutes before he could hear amused giggles coming from Kirby’s hiding spot. Galacta immediately ran over to the spot and lifted Kirby up in into his arms, laughing along. 

“I finally found you! You’re the best at hiding, I couldn’t even see you until I heard you laughing! You’re so silly!” Galacta Knight knew what to say to make Kirby happy, and always said exactly that. What else is even worth saying? Kirby continued giggling and squirming in Galacta’s arms. 

“No, _you’re_ silly! Papa’s the silliest b’cause- cause-“ Kirby couldn’t even finish their sentence because they were laughing so hard. Galacta Knight could not imagine being happier. Kirby was the light of his life. Truly a blessing. He ruffled their hair. 

“You’re clearly sillier than me! You can’t even finish your sentence!” Galacta Knight sat down and set Kirby in his lap. Their energy was beginning to simmer down. It was almost 8:30- past their bedtime already. Shit. Galacta was the one who started that rule, he’s gotta enforce it! He stood up once again, child in his arms. 

“Alright, buddy, you gotta go to bed. It’s late.” Kirby shook their head sleepily in protest. How did this kid get so tired so fast? “No, come on. You gotta sleep.” Kirby didn’t protest again, as they were practically asleep. They never failed to baffle Galacta Knight. He laid Kirby in their bed and kissed them on the forehead as a silent goodnight and left the room. 

—

Kirby woke up abruptly. They weren’t sure why they were crying. The dream they had about Papa was nice, nothing about it was scary or sad. Just hide-and-seek..

Kirby missed Papa. They missed hide-and-seek, they missed goodnight kisses and laughing and everything about him. 

They found themselves crying about it to their stuffed animals within another few seconds, hugging their pillow close to their body as comfort. 

A warm, angelic light flooded the room through the door. Kirby turned around to spot a familiar figure. 

“G- Gaa, poy- Ga-axi-i-ia..?” Kirby whimpered, staring at Galaxia with wide, teary eyes. She stepped forward and pulled the child into a tight embrace, rocking them to and fro as comfort. 

Galaxia knew the face and voice of a crying child much too well. Her warrior had been through a lot during his childhood. Unspeakable horrors and hardships no child should go through. She had become an expert at calming crying children. Kirby was beginning to fall asleep again, leading Galaxia to lay them back down in bed. 

“Good night, dearest. Sweet dreams.” And with that, Kirby was asleep and Galaxia was returning to her non-physical form. 

Hopefully, Kirby would stay asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought this was gonna be a cute chapter? Ha! SIKE! It’s sad now.
> 
> Hi everyone! I haven’t updated in a while. That’s because of a few reasons:
> 
> 1\. I don’t get a lot of food at home, so I didn’t have the energy to write.  
> 2\. I didn’t have any ideas.
> 
> But now, both problems are solved! I’m staying with my mom now, and she actually goes grocery shopping, so I don’t feel like I’m dying most of the day anymore. It’s.. really not the best feeling, as I’m sure you guys can assume. And I (obviously) had an idea for this fic. Sorry if these end notes are a little personal, but I don’t want to lie to you guys about what’s going on in my life. So, here’s the whole truth. Take it or leave it. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed. I love you guys! <3
> 
> Also, I misspelled ‘Galaxia’ on purpose there, Kirby pronounces it as ‘Gaxia’ because you know. They’re 5.


	18. Your New Best Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby meets a new friend downtown. He’s very.. Interesting.

Cold days were not Kirby’s favorite kind of day. The cold air would bite at their nose and make them shiver and leave them tired and wanting a nap. Many things were wrong with the cold. Especially if there wasn’t any snow to show for it! What’s the point of cold without snow to play in? There is no point! 

Regardless of the cold and Kirby’s distaste for it, Meta Knight had taken them out to run some of his (many, many) necessary daily errands. He couldn’t trust the Waddle Dees to babysit after the Paint Spaghetti Incident, and the Queen of Ripple Star was busy with her own queenly duties today. The two waited in a (long) line for the checkout of some boring store Kirby couldn’t recall the name of. Meta Knight didn’t like having the Waddle Dees do _everything_ , they needed a break! So, Meta would do most of his own errands. Though, just because the fates made Kirby go out with Meta in the freezing cold didn’t mean they had to be happy about it. They tugged at Meta’s cape. 

“Mommy, I’m _coooold_... I wanna go back home.” Kirby whined, pleading with Meta Knight to no avail. Meta only sighed and ruffled Kirby’s endless pink mane of an afro. 

“I know you are, Kirby. You’ll just have to wait. We just have to do a few more things, then we can go home, okay?” Meta Knight hoped that that explanation would appease Kirby. Spoiler alert: it did not. They only huffed and crossed their arms in annoyance. 

“But that’s so boring! Can’t we just.. go home.. an’, hmm..” Kirby gave up, sighing in defeat. They were too tired from walking all around town to all of Meta Knight’s different errands to finish that thought. Meta chuckled under their breath. Children, folks. 

“You can go sit down over there if you’re tired.” Meta Knight suggested, pointing to a bench near the exit. Kirby tiredly nodded and trudged towards the bench, sitting down with a dramatic sigh and putting their hands on their face. They attempted to make this errand-running more fun by taking time to look at their surroundings. There were big, colorful signs.. lots of different kinds of fruits and cans and things.. some bags. What Kirby did not notice, however, was the silly-hatted boy next to them, just waiting for them to notice him. Eventually, Kirby turned to the side and noticed the boy. They were startled for a moment, as he was right up next to their face, but it was a pleasant surprise. Maybe this could be a friend..?

“Hi, I’m Kirby..! What’s..” They yawned. “..what’s your name?” Kirby was not in the best mood, or state. But hopefully this new friend would cheer them up! The boy perked up instantly, adjusting his scarf in preparation for this pressing.. Introduction. 

“My name is Marx! Let’s be best friends!” Marx was a little heavy with the being-friends thing. Maybe you’re rushing a little, buddy? The rushing of this relationship did not matter to Kirby, because when you’re 4, you’re ready to be anyone’s best friend on the day you meet them. 

“Yeah! Best.. Best friends!” Kirby smiled and sat up. They noticed Marx’s strange hat, tilting their head. “You’ve got a real weird hat. I like it!” Marx couldn’t help but giggle at the compliment. No one has ever said his hat was nice before! This was so great!

“Thanks! I like your scarf. It has a star on it, and stars are cool.” Kirby giggled just as Marx did, looking down at their scarf. They did, in fact, have a star on their scarf. And it was cool. 

“Thank you! You’re very nice, Marx. That makes you a good friend! That’s what Papa Dedede says.” Way to go, Kirby, spread King Dedede’s wisdom across the countryside! Marx adjusted his seating. 

“You wanna see something cool?” Kirby nodded vigorously. They were so fucking ready to see something cool. So ready. Marx pulled a cup-and-ball toy out of his jacket pocket and showed it to Kirby quickly. “Watch this!” He flipped the toy around, caught the handle and watched as the ball still fell into the cup. This easily amazed Kirby, who watched with wide eyes.

“Wow! That’s really cool! Can you show me how t-“ Kirby was cut off by Meta Knight tapping their shoulder. 

“Hey, we gotta go home now. Say bye-bye to your friend now.” Kirby nodded to Meta Knight, then turning back to Marx and waving. 

“Bye-bye, Marx! See you another day!” Kirby always just assumed they’d see their friends again, since that always seemed to be the case. Meta Knight took Kirby’s hand and led them out of the store, watching them continuously wave to their new friend. 

The two returned home soon enough, and Kirby was about ready for a nap at this point. As soon as they got to the hallway where their room was, Kirby rushed inside and got out of their winter clothes and into some nice, warm pajamas. So much better than the thick, itchy winter gear that they had to wear! Meta Knight came into the room shortly after, picking Kirby up and tucking them into the soft blankets. He sat down on the best next to Kirby. 

“So, did you make a friend today?” Meta Knight asked quietly, stroking Kirby’s hair. They nodded slowly, clutching a stuffed animal. 

“Mhmm, his name w’s.. Marx. It was Marx..” That name was familiar. Wasn’t that the name of Nova’s son? He’d have to ask about that next time he saw them. 

“That’s good, I’m glad your making friends! Sweet dreams.” Meta Knight kissed Kirby on the forehead and left the room, turning off the lights on the way out. Kirby drifted to sleep peacefully, dreaming of cup-and-ball tricks and funny hats..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I updated (yet again). I’ve been at summer camp, and I also just haven’t had the motivation to write lately. But! Being back from camp has made me want to write! So, here’s this. Enjoy Marx being a little shit. He might return! Maybe if you’re lucky.


	19. Absolutely Perfect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things could not be better.

Kirby’s day had not been particularly exciting. Rainy days were never all that fun anyways- not counting that time when Papa Dedede took them out and they splashed in the puddles! That was a lot of fun, even if Mommy yelled at them both for it because they both got sick afterwards. Getting sick was not fun. Kirby was still recovering from said cold today, which is part of why today wasn’t that great. Staying in bed all day was boring! Kirby wanted to play and run around! They couldn’t just stare at the sun setting forever! Even if it was beautiful.. Though, if they couldn’t run around, at least they could still color. 

Which is exactly what they did: Kirby colored quietly in bed. They colored strawberries and planets and teddy bears and many other things! Though, the uncolored picture of a pair of friends playing on the swings made Kirby feel rather lonely. There was no one there in the room with them to swing on the swings with! And no swings! Well, Kirby can fix one of those problems by themselves. They’ll just go find someone to keep them company. Easy task! 

Kirby hopped out of bed and instantly felt much colder than they did in bed. Much, much colder! They looked for the source of this change in temperature, and then remembered: Papa Dedede turned the fan on extra high so that Kirby’s fever wouldn’t get any worse. That’s what he said, at least. Despite this cold, they grabbed a stuffed animal and set off for someone to ease this lonely feeling of theirs! 

After only a few minutes of walking, the King himself ran into Kirby. He was confused as to why the kid was out of bed. They were supposed to be resting! Dedede kneeled down to Kirby’s eye level. 

“Aren’t you supposed ta be sleepin’? Ya gotta sleep, or you won’t get any better.” Kirby knew this, but they had a much more important issue than being sick on their hands right now. It was absolutely dire.

“Mhm, I know.. But I got lonely.. Can I have a hug?” Kirby opened their arms quietly and waited patiently for their hug. King Dedede’s heart swelled. The baby just wanted a hug. And of course, Dedede was gonna give them one! He immediately scooped Kirby into his arms and held them, standing up to properly carry them. He cradled Kirby and stared at them. They still looked so sick.. Puffy eyes (were those from irritation or crying?), red in the face, endlessly tired.. Poor baby. They needed some rest, and quick. 

But, before King Dedede could take Kirby back to bed to get said rest, Meta Knight walked up beside them. _Why is Kirby out of bed_ , he asked himself, _and what are they doing?_ Before he could ask what was going on, Dedede noticed him. 

“Hey Meta, I was just about ta take Kirby here back to bed, I’m guessin’ you wanna come with?” Meta Knight swallowed their question and nodded silently, following King Dedede and Kirby back to bed. Dedede tucked Kirby back into bed with all their stuffed animals and soft blankets.

“Sweet dreams, Kirby, hope ya feel better tomorrow. No more getting outta bed, okay?” King Dedede really hoped that Kirby wouldn’t get out of bed again. The kid needed some rest, they looked miserable! Kirby nodded slowly, already nodding off. They clutched their stuffed animal tight to their chest. Dedede stepped aside for Meta Knight to give his own good-nights to Kirby. Meta pushed their hair out of their face. That was his kid. His perfect angel baby. His perfect angel baby that he got to raise and care for with the person he loved the most in the world. How lucky was he to have this? Karma’s finally come to give Meta the life he deserved, after years of mistreatment and battering from his own father. This was perfect. Everything was.. Perfect. He didn’t even realize he was crying until Dedede spun him around to help. 

“Meta, are you okay? What happened?” King Dedede wiped the tears off of Meta Knight’s face with his thumbs. Meta nodded, trying to regain his composure (and failing).

“Yeah, I just.. I’m so happy that we’re here and that we’re safe and that we get to have this nice, perfect family and.. Oh, Nova, I’m such a mess right now, I’m sorry, I love you so much..” King Dedede was going to start crying himself, fuck. Things really were perfect. Dedede immediately pulled Meta in for a hug. 

“Aw, it’s okay, honeybee, you don’t gotta be sorry.. I love you too, so much..” King Dedede rocked back and forth on his heels: Meta Knight always did think that rocking motions were soothing. Hopefully that would calm him down. 

“You wanna go to bed? You’re probably tired..” Meta Knight nodded, sniffling. King Dedede lifted Meta up onto his shoulder (yes, just the one. He fits.) and walked off into their bedroom, placing Meta down on the bed once inside and sitting next to him. 

“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t usually just start cryin’ like that..” Meta Knight couldn’t help but laugh. King Dedede was so careful with his emotions.. He really did find the right guy, didn’t he?

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just.. Really, really happy to be here with you and Kirby. I love you two..” Meta Knight laced his fingers together with King Dedede’s slowly, squeezing at Dedede’s hand gently. Meta always was shy and gentle with affection.. Very unlike Dedede, who switched holding hands with Meta for holding him as close as he possibly could. Always loud and showy with affection. Everyone had to know just how much Meta meant to him, but.. For right now, it was okay if only Meta knew. He needed to know it most, after all. 

“I love you, too, so much.. An’ I know Kirby does too. It’s impossible not to love you! You’re perfect!” Meta ducked his head. Surely, he wasn’t _perfect_.

“Oh, stop, I’m not perfect. There’s lots of things wrong with m-“ King Dedede put a finger over Meta Knight’s mouth. He was not going to have Meta slander himself! No no! 

“-And that is where you’re wrong! Because my prince is absolutely perfect in every way, shape an’ form, and there ain’t nothin’ you can say to change my mind. _Aaaaand,_ I know how to prove it.” King Dedede didn’t take the time to explain, only continuing with his ‘proving’. He kissed every exposed part of Meta Knight’s unsuspecting face, from his cheeks (so soft! How could he not kiss them?) to his nose (tiny! Perfect to kiss!) to his forehead (well there isn’t really anything particular about Meta’s forehead..) to just about every other place you could think of. Though, Dedede saved the best for last. Just when Meta thought the kissing was over, Dedede leaned in for a long, loving smooch on the lips. 

“See? Ain’t nothin’ but perfection gets a kiss from the King, and you, sugarplum, just got a whole lotta kisses from the King! And _that_ proves my point. Case closed, meeting adjourned!” King Dedede proved his point well, because Meta Knight didn’t try to continue with why he wasn’t perfect. Or maybe it was because he was too flustered to speak. Either way, Dedede’s plan worked! 

“..Okay, m-maybe you’re right..” Meta Knight said quietly. King Dedede laughed under his breath. Meta was even cuter when he was all flustered like this! Dedede kissed his forehead. 

“You wanna go ta sleep? You look like you’re ready to pass out.” Meta Knight was indeed ready to pass out, and nodded to this question. King Dedede laid down, dragging Meta with him. 

“G’night, Meta, I love you..” King Dedede finally closed his eyes to go to sleep.

“Love you too, good night..” Meta Knight did the same, falling asleep almost instantly. Leaving King Dedede to his thoughts once again. He opened his eyes one more time to look at his husband. 

Meta Knight was right. This really was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! i don’t know if anyone’s reading this fic anymore, but hello if you are! this is still @kirfluff , i just wanted to change my profile name bc this is less specific. i don’t rly write a lot of kirfluff anyways!   
> i just want to say thank you to everyone reading this, and to everyone who got this fic to over 1000 hits and everyone who comments and leaves kudos and everything. it really means a lot to me that you guys like my stuff. i’m in a very sappy mood right now if you couldn’t tell! i just really appreciate all of you and the support i get. thank you guys so much ♡
> 
> now that i’ve been sappy and given my thanks, i wanted to give you guys my tumblr! i can’t remember if i already put it here, but i’m putting it here once again. it’s @naptimekirby! id love to interact with you guys more, i’m sure you’d all be very good friends (if you guys are even interested in talking to me lmao), and you can also send writing requests! they might come out slowly, but surely! thank you all! 
> 
> this chapter made me realize that i don’t wrote enough family fluff between dedede and kirby! dedede needs the baby to love him too!! (and the baby loves him very much, trust me)
> 
> i think this is my favorite chapter so far. it’s just .. so full of love in this little family. i even cried a little writing this (cough cough i _bawled_ ), it’s just that sweet! i really do love writing this. i hope you guys really love this chapter (even if it was self indulgent. i’m sure you guys don’t mind! ♡ ♡ ♡).


	20. Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow Kirby’s life is much different than their mirror counterpart.
> 
> Not bad, but.. Different.

Shadow Kirby’s day hadn’t been all too bad. Daddy didn’t go away at all yet and they only cried once, and only for a few minutes too! They were having a pretty good day, actually! Everything was going nicely.

Dark Meta Knight carried them through the castle gardens slowly, letting Shadow enjoy the fresh air. He knew that they weren’t the biggest fan of the cold, but the fresh air was good for them. Plus, maybe that would help them sleep better.. Hopefully. The poor thing already had trouble sleeping, they were so afraid of being alone that they couldn’t even sleep off their worries. Dark wanted to help them so badly, but he didn’t know how. Everything he tried resulted in Shadow Kirby having a long breakdown and endless amounts of guilt. Shadow sleepily tugged at Dark’s shirt from his shoulders. 

“Daddy.. Wanna go to.. to bed. Please?” Shadow Kirby rested their head on Dark Meta Knight’s and tried not to fall asleep. They wanted to wait until they had their weighted blankets and lots of pillows and for Daddy to tell them he loves them and everything. That’s the best way to fall asleep, after all. 

“Of course. Whatever you need.” Dark Meta Knight walked back inside Carrot Castle and towards Shadow Kirby’s room. He made sure to walk slowly, as to not disturb them. Dark lifted Shadow off of his shoulders and laid them down in bed, covering them with all of their blankets. They had.. very many. Pressure helped them calm down, so it only made sense to have many blankets to ensue pressure! Anything that Shadow Kirby needed to calm down was a must-have for Dark. 

“You’re comfortable, yes? You need anything?” Shadow Kirby reached for Dark Meta Knight’s hand urgently, signifying that they needed him. _Of course they need me,_ thought Dark. He smiled and took Shadow’s hand into both of his own. 

“I’ll stay right here, okay? I’m not going to leave your side.” Shadow Kirby nodded, promptly falling asleep afterwards. Dark Meta Knight couldn’t help but to stay for a little while longer, just in case Shadow woke up.. Oh, it’s fine. They won’t wake up yet. It’s been five minutes. Dark eventually leaves the room, nervously staring back at Shadow to see if they’ve moved or woken up. This kid’s really got him running circles. He realizes that he’s got errands to do. 

Like. A shit ton of errands to do.

So Dark Meta Knight runs out to complete said errands, hoping that Shadow Kirby won’t wake up before he returns to sit back at their bedside. Dark just wanted Shadow to be happy. But the poor baby was just so nervous and _sad_ all the time, and Dark didn’t know how to help them.. 

And just to Dark’s luck! Shadow Kirby woke up much before he got home. When Shadow opened their eyes, they expected to see Daddy sitting right there with them to give them a hug. But Daddy wasn’t there. No one was. Shadow was all alone. They couldn’t handle that! Being alone was so scary! And what did Shadow do when they got scared or upset?

They cried.

They cried and they panicked and they hid. Shadow Kirby quickly began to sob at the sight of their Daddy being gone. They got off of the bed and toddled around their room, looking for any trace of Dark Meta Knight around. And of course, there was none. Which only upset Shadow even more. They walked back to their bed, and since they couldn’t climb back on themselves, Shadow just sat on the floor and cried to themselves. 

Dark Meta Knight came back from his errand-running to a very familiar sound. Familiar, but haunting and heart-wrenching all the same. It was poor Shadow Kirby’s wailing. He made a beeline for Shadow’s room and saw just what he expected. His least favorite sight. Shadow Kirby, curled up in a ball, crying on the floor. Dark walked in and kneeled at Shadow’s side, tilting their face up so they could see that Dark was there.

“Hey, Kirby- I’m sorry for leaving, I had to do something, dearest.. Come here, it’s okay..” Dark Meta Knight picked them up from the floor and sat down on the bed, placing Shadow Kirby in his lap. He wrapped their weighted blanket around them. Dark knew that Shadow liked the physical pressure when they were upset like this, and the blanket was seeming to work anyways. Shadow started to quiet down, burying their face in Dark’s shirt. Dark wanted to help Shadow overcome this anxiety of their’s but.. 

How to break something so deep-rooted?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so. i have a lot of feelings about shadow kirby. i love them so much. here’s some stuff for this au’s shadow kirby
> 
> \- they were extremely dependent on mirror galacta, and is having a very hard time adapting to life without him.   
> \- dark meta will not let sk leave his side. sk wouldn’t want to anyways, but dark meta is always with sk.   
> \- this is because sk has very intense separation anxiety and will cry relentlessly is they can’t see either dark meta or shadow dedede.  
> \- shadow dedede doesn’t see sk very often because of his job, but he loves them very much. shadow dedede wishes he could spend more time with them.  
> \- both dark meta and shadow dedede want to help shadow kirby with their separation anxiety, but they don’t know how. they definitely will have to eventually, but they don’t know how to help them.   
> \- shadow kirby loves to get carried! that’s something them and pink kirby have in common. dmk carries them as much as he can, because not much else makes them happy anyways.   
> \- physical pressure always helps them calm down. dmk has at least 3 weighted blankets for them stashed around.  
> \- dmk spoils sk rotten. they aren’t bratty, but by now they certainly should be!  
> \- shadow kirby often goes nonverbal and dmk will have to assume what they want. he’s gotten rather good at that guessing game.   
> \- rather than calling dmk mommy, they call him daddy. please don’t make this weird they’re 4.   
> \- dmk is the kind of “asshole to the world, sweet to one person” type . sk is the one person. sometimes shadow dedede. (he does love shadow dedede .... he’s just a jackass)
> 
> well. that’s my sad baby shadow kirby. i love them and i want to hold them.  
> also sorrry if this has typos. i’m writing this after a long day of conventioning


	21. Infinite Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When did Kirby discover their Copy powers?
> 
> How do you discover something like that anyways?

Kirby was so excited for today! Beach days were always the best. There was sand, and water, and snacks! Those were three really great things! And the beach was exactly all it was cracked up to be, even if it was a little misty. That just made it even more fun to get around, it was like traveling through a big cloud! 

Meta Knight and King Dedede watched Kirby from their designated spot, making sure to keep an eye on them, even if the mist made it hard. Good thing Dedede had good vision! And good thing Meta was fast enough to grab Kirby in case they fell or stepped on a sharp shell or something. Meta and Dedede really did make a good team. 

Kirby continued to run around the beach without a care in the world. They splashed in the water, made sand castles and collected shells to their heart’s content. And that made them very happy! The beach was just as fun as they remembered, even if they did get sand in their wings. Kirby continued walking through the shallow water. They liked how the water felt around their ankles! Kirby enjoyed their time at the beach for only a few moments longer, before a wave sent them tumbling into the water, arms first..

And something completely life-changing happened.

Kirby didn’t notice it until they looked down at themselves and noticed something very strange. Their bathing suit was blue and.. There was some sort of crown on their head, with water shooting out of it. This all confused Kirby very much, and they didn’t even notice Dedede and Meta Knight running over to them.

”Kirby, are you- Whoa. What.. Happened? How did you change your bathing suit, we only have the one.. And the crown thingy, and the .. boots? We don’t need boots here, kid-“ Meta Knight cut Dedede off.

”..How did you get those clothes?” He asked cautiously. There was only one explanation as to why Kirby changed clothes so fast and so suddenly, but Meta Knight needed to make sure before he jumped to any conclusions. It was.. Extremely improbable that Kirby had Copy powers anyways, those powers could only go to someone judged by the gods.. And Kirby was too young for that, right? ..Right?

”I fell in the water and I went like this,” Kirby put their arms out in front of them. “and now I have a new bathing suit and a funny hat.” They didn’t seem scared or upset, just.. Somewhat confused at what just happened. Meta Knight’s heart felt like it was both soaring and sinking all at once.

Kirby _did_ have Copy powers.

Meta Knight was so proud, but so, so scared. Anyone with those powers was immensly powers, possibly even infinitely powerful. Could Kirby handle that kind of power? And the pressure to come with them, the pressure to save people and save.. Even the world. Silence hangs over the three.

“..Kirby, I think it’s time to go back home now. It’s, uh.. It’s late. Yeah.” Meta Knight scooped Kirby up out of the water and hurriedly grabbed all of their things with Dedede’s help. They got in the car and sped off. Kirby would’ve protested if they hadn’t already fallen asleep. No matter what, Kirby will always find a way to fall asleep.

The ride home is silent. As soon as the three got home, Kirby was taken to their room and put into bed. Dedede and Meta Knight talk in the hall outside.

”What’re we gonna do? I don’t know how to train someone with that kinda power, an’ I don’t think you do either.” Dedede whisper-yelled. Meta Knight sighed in exasperation.

”We don’t have to start training them yet. They’re still young. We should just.. Let them enjoy being a child while they can be. We can train them later on.” That plan sounded solid to Dedede. He ran a hand through his hair.

”..Okay. Okay. That’s a good plan. Let Kirby be happy for a while, then train them.. Okay.” Dedede was freaking out a little. What are they going to do if Kirby falls into the wrong hands? If someone finds out about their powers, they could use them for unimaginable things. Meta Knight takes Dedede’s hands in his own.

”Hey, it’s gonna be alright. We don’t have to tell anyone about Kirby’s powers, they don’t even know how to use them. Kirby’s fine, I’m fine, you’re fine.” Meta Knight said calmly. It pained him to see Dedede get so stressed. Dedede squeezes Meta’s hands and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath.

”You’re right. I’ve gotta stop freakin’ out..”

”It’s okay to be nervous, I’m scared too. But all we can do is try to keep quiet about this.”

“I just hope the word doesn’t get out on its own..”

—

Kirby wakes up an hour later. They didn’t feel their wet, sticky bathing suit on them anymore, they instead felt.. Soft pajamas. That was nice, wet bathing suits were uncomfortable. They wondered about what happened today.. How _did_ they change so fast? And what was with that weird water crown?

Oh well. Kirby didn’t need to worry about that. They grabbed a stuffed animal and went back to sleep, dreaming of the soft sand and warm water of the beach..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guess who’s back lads
> 
> i’m sure some of you noticed that kirby has wings! i decided that if i’m gonna write a wing kirby chapter i’d have to roll with it lol.
> 
> also, my kirby (and many others) copies things by touching them with their hands!


	22. Meta And His One All-Knowing Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Galaxia has no idea how to raise a child. She’s supposed to be somewhat all-knowing, but.. This tricky little blue kid is putting that all-knowledge to shame.

Galaxia was never a fan of thunderstorms. They were loud and uninviting hazards, and just plain annoying. She was trying to read! And about parenting this time, not just some dumb romance novel. She had to get through the “What To Do When Your Child Is Frightened” chapter, as Meta got frightened rather easily.. It was that damn Nightmare Wizard that made him so afraid like this. But Galaxia can’t do anything further to him. All she can do now is protect Meta from him and his associates. 

And that chapter was about to come in handy, because Galaxia’s own little blue menace came scampering into the living room soon after the storm really started to kick up. She immediately stood up from the musty old couch to check if Meta had gotten himself injured or did something bad, quietly inspecting him.. Galaxia did this sort of thing rather often, so she didn’t even need to say anything about it anymore. Meta learned fast. But what was actually happening with him clicked to her rather quickly. 

”..You’re afraid of the thunderstorm, yes?” Galaxia asks gently, tilting Meta’s head upwards so she could see his expression. She could tell when he was lying, his nose would start twitching. Like a bat’s would. Meta really was like a bat, now that Galaxia thought about it.. The wings, twitchy nose, giant pointy ears he’s have to grow into.. Meta scratched at his fingers nervously, looking away from Galaxia. It was hard to lie about being scared when she could see your tears.

”I-I’m not sc-“ Before Meta’s nose could even start its telltale twitching, a loud clap of thunder scared him into Galaxia’s arms. Well.. Not really her arms yet. Meta just clung onto Galaxia’s robes and tried to block out the sounds of the thunder. Curse his overly sensitive ears, they made everything ten times scarier! Galaxia knew of Meta’s hearing all too well. She would usually have to whisper to him to avoid him getting overwhelmed by her voice. Any noisy toys were a no, she’d have to chop vegetables slowly to avoid the noise.. Friends would definitely be hard to make with such an opposition to overwhelming sound. But the thunder overpowered that sound, and she could probably speak at a normal level now. Galaxia pulled Meta up into her lap and covered his ears with her palms, hoping to keep him as calm as possible.

But this was proving to be.. Difficult. Meta wasn’t easy to calm down. He’d curl in on himself more and more with every last clap of thunder. If Galaxia could, she’d rid the sky of every last grey cloud to keep her champion from this pain. He’d been through worse with that blasted Nightmare Wizard for the last four years of his life, but.. That didn’t make this any less scary for him. She wanted to scratch his wings, stroke his hair- To do anything else that may help. But her hands were occupied with covering his ears, which was crucial.. Parenting was so difficult!

”Hey, it’s alright.. The storm will not hurt you, I won’t let it. Try to focus on my voice instead of the thunder, that may help.” Galaxia hopes her advice will help Meta. She knows that five year olds don’t listen the best, but if this is the one time that Meta listens to her, she’ll be happy.

But it isn’t the one time Meta listens, as he continues to jump and shake with every clap of cursed thunder. He twists his fingers in the glistening golden fabric of Galaxia’s robes and tries to silence his frightened cries, but it’s no use, as Galaxia can hear him and is filled with sadness. How she wished that Meta never had to feel bad or scared. But that’s an unrealistic wish, and she knows better than to dream of things like this. Though.. She does have an idea. She places her head on top of Meta’s to ensure that he’ll hear her.

“Would you like me to get your earplugs? We can also sit in the basement, the sound won’t be as loud down there.” Galaxia whispers. Meta nods, sniffling. She assumes that he wants to be carried (Meta always does, after all), and scoops him up to take down to the basement. Galaxia stops to grab Meta’s earplugs and continues down the stairs and to the couch in the basement. Once downstairs, she puts the plugs in Meta’s ears and pulls him back into her lap.

The earplugs didn’t block out everything- Nothing could with how strong Meta’s hearing was. But.. They did help much more than Galaxia’s hands alone. His fear soon began to melt into exhaustion from crying, but.. Some of it just would not go away, and the thunder still scared him just enough to keep him awake. But Galaxia could get him to sleep- She knew she could. She places her hands over Meta’s ears to help block the thunder even further, resulting in one very sleepy eldritch child. Galaxia couldn’t take him upstairs to sleep, it was much too loud up there with the thunder.. Would it be so bad to sleep down here for one night? Maybe just until the storm ended.. Galaxia would have to consult her parenting book about that.

But until then, she’s got things covered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! it’s been a real long time since i updated this fic. i hope there are people still reading this fic, lmao.


	23. Wing Blanket!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby’s been dragged out on Meta’s errand-running in the cold once again, and could use a little extra warmth. But, one pair of wings isn’t enough to keep them warm..
> 
> But two is just enough!

“Mommyyy.. It’s cold!” Kirby whined. They hated running errands! They didn’t like the word ‘hate’, but they couldn’t think of anything else to describe how they felt. Running errands involved walking in the cold for an hour to do very boring things. Meta Knight wouldn’t have to take them if he could trust the Waddle Dees to babysit.. But the last time, they fed Kirby paint for some unimaginable reason. So, Kirby had to come on Meta’s early morning errands. 

“I know, Kirby. But we’re almost finished, and then we can go back home and-“ Meta Knight was cut off suddenly by Kirby, tugging at his cape.

“Wing blanket! Please? Pretty please, Mommy?” Kirby stared up at Meta Knight hopefully, smiling in remembrence. Kirby loved having Meta’s wings around them! They were so warm.. But Meta seemed to have other plans. 

“Kirby, no. It’s not that cold, if you were going to be cold you should’ve grabbed another jacket.” Meta Knight scolded. Kirby was undeterred in their hopes still, continuing to pull on Meta’s cape and bounce up and down on their toes. 

“Pretty please? Pretty please with stardust on top? And icecream and chocolate?” Kirby gave Meta Knight _The Eyes_. You know which ones. The big, sad puppydog eyes that Meta just couldn’t say no to. He sighs, pulling his wings out of his cape and wrapping one around Kirby.

“Okay, fine. Here’s your wing blanket.” Kirby giggles and clings onto Meta Knight’s arm. They continue running their errands for another few minutes without any complaints, with Kirby being substantially warm and Meta not being whined at any longer. 

Though.. Kirby was not content for the entirety of the errand-running, as the wind began to pick up, and soon they began to complain about the cold again. 

“Mommy, Mommy.. It’s cold.” Kirby complained. Meta Knight sighed in exasperation. Didn’t they just have this conversation?

“Kirby.. I told you to take a bigger jacket if you were going to be cold. You should have listened.” Meta Knight was getting tired of Kirby’s whining. They really should’ve grabbed another jacket. But Kirby was not having any of this scolding! They were going to persist.

“But my other jacket is itchy.” Kirby does have a point. They’d just whine over being itchy then. 

“Well, what would you like me to do about the cold? I’ve already got my wing wrapped around you, what would you like me to do?” Kirby then remembered Meta Knight’s secret other pair of wings. They only knew about them because they saw him and Dedede together once, and Meta has their second pair of wings out.. And another wing over them would make them much warmer! 

“More wing blanket!” Kirby said triumphantly.

“Kirby, I can’t reach my left wing over to you, they aren’t big enough.” Oh ho ho! Meta Knight doesn’t know that Kirby knows his secret!

“No, no, your other wings!” Meta Knight knows then that Kirby knew. He looks down at them suspiciously.

“How do you know about those?” Meta Knight asks quietly. Kirby giggles. 

“Saw them! Papa Dedede was kissin’ them!” Meta Knight feels his face heat up. Kirby saw that? That’s embarrassing..

“You didn’t tell anyone else, yes?” Kirby shakes their head, pink hair bouncing with it.

“No! But I will if you don’t give me wing blanket.” Kirby squinted up at a surprised Meta Knight. Who taught them these mischevious tactics? Probably Axe Knight. He’s gonna have to talk to him tomorrow. Meta reluctantly takes out their second pair of wings and wraps one around Kirby. He’s gonna have to ask Dedede if he has anything to do with Kirby knowing about his wings..

—

Meta Knight marches up to Dedede after putting Kirby down for their nap. Dedede doesn’t know what’s going on, but when Meta swings his elbows like that when he walks? It’s not good.

“Dedede. Did you tell Kirby about my second pair of wings?” Meta Knight asks suspiciously. 

“Uhm? No? How do they even know about them?” Meta Knight doesn’t buy that garbage! It’s not garbage, but Meta seems to think it is.

“Hm. Sounds suspicious.” 

“It’s really not!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!!”


	24. Bedtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby’s just about ready for bed, but they’ve got things on their mind.
> 
> —
> 
> Void awakes in a place far away.

Another day in Castle Dedede’s gardens has tired Kirby out just as fast as always. The hot sun supervised Kirby during the daytime for jumprope and flower crowns and coloring, but the light of the moon gently persuaded the child to go to sleep. And so did King Dedede, who came to pick Kirby up from the gardens and put them to bed. After a few minutes of searching, he found them laying in the daffodils, half asleep, surrounded by half-finished coloring pages. Kirby never did seem to finish them, for some reason. Dedede smiled warmly and picked them up to carry them back to their room.

“C’mon Kirbs, let’s get you to bed, it’s getting late..” Dedede said as he walked back into the castle. He tucked Kirby into bed quietly, and was about to leave when Kirby tugged on his robe. He turned around.

“Papa? Can there be two of you at the same time?” Kirby asked, their words slurring from drowsiness. Dedede shook his head with an amused smile.

“‘Course not. There’s only one Kirby, and there’s only one me! Why do you-“ Dedede realizes that Kirby already fell asleep mid-explanation. “-Ask. Oh well.” He kissed Kirby on the forehead and left the room, turning the lights off as he exited.

—

Kirby found themselves in a dark room. Or, at least they thought it was a room, but there were no walls or a ceiling to be seen anywhere. Just the darkness, everywhere they looked. Dark, inky black, but.. It didn’t seem _dark_. They could see themselves just fine. Even without any light in the room. Kirby picks themselves off the ground and look around. Still only the black emptiness, but.. They seemed to have a visitor. Someone who looked just like them, yet.. So different too. The same face, same hair and same clothes.. But an empty expression. Their whole body seemed to be the same colors- White, with colorful veins swimming in what little color there was, like the pigment was fluid. Kirby can’t find the words to speak to this entity, other than-

“Who are you?” The figure hardly responds at first, other than revealing something from behind their back. A bouquet of daffodils, tied together hastily. Kirby smiles. This person must be a friend, if they have flowers for them! They step towards this new person. “For me?” They point to themselves. The entity shakes their head. 

“ **So tired .... I’m so tired ...** ” The entity slurs, their voice a garbled mess of pitches. It’s almost hard for Kirby to listen to, but they won’t give up now. 

“Well, if you’re tired, you should go to sleep! Where’s your bed?” Kirby asks. The entity shakes their head. 

“ **No bed... No sleep..** ” They croak. Kirby frowns. How are they meant to sleep without a bed? Oh well, they’ll have to make do.. 

“You can sleep on the ground if you’re super tired too. I do that a lot outside.” Kirby states, matter-of-factly. The entity thinks about it before laying down on the ground, daffodils still in hand. Kirby kneels next to them.

“Good-night, stranger.” They whisper, and kiss the entity on the forehead. 

Daffodils bloom amongst the void.

—

Kirby jolts awake with a burning taste in their mouth, like they’d eaten something spicy. They look around to see their room instead of the void they’d been in just prior. 

..Just a dream. A strange one, but just a dream, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im workin on writing and like being a person again codependencys a bitch am i right. hope u like this new chapter its been a hot fuckin second
> 
> also its been almost a year since i published this! maybe ill write somethin for that idk


	25. So Long Ago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby reminisces on when they were younger. They aren’t that old now.. But Nova, was it easy to be little.

Falluna Moon was a different place at night. The exciting mustard yellows and oranges all turn to a moody kind of purple, and the breeze turns from gentle to unforgiving almost too fast after sundown. Kirby wraps their scarf tighter around them as they walk, trying to shield themselves from the wind. Adeleine, Ribbon and Marx all huddled around Burning Leo to try and keep warm. Leo didn’t seem to mind luckily, or the other three would be piles of ash by now. Kirby smiles at how Ribbon and Marx keep daring each other to jump in the fire. Should they be worried? Whatever, now’s not a good time to worry. Adeleine shoots a disapproving glare at the two daredevils, and looks back at Kirby. 

“Hey, Kirbs? You think we could set up camp for the night ‘round here somewhere? ‘S getting kinda late.. And cold, too.” Adeleine asks. Kirby agrees and nods. 

“Yeah, it is kinda cold! Let’s stop, uh..” Kirby looks around, spotting a tree big enough for all five to lay underneath. “There! That tree. Looks comfy enough.” Would be better if it were a fruit tree, but oh well. There’s enough to eat. The team sets up camp under the tree, laying out blankets, hats and whatever else could be layed out. As soon as the fire was lit (courtesy of Burning Leo), almost everyone was out cold, asleep in moments. 

Everyone, of course, except Kirby. 

No matter what they tried, they just couldn’t get any sleep. Not counting sheep, not deep breathing, nothing. Kirby figures that if they can’t sleep, they may as well get some exploring done to help for tomorrow. Couldn’t hurt, right? They get up and start walking through the tall grass, sword dragging behind them. Despite the harsh wind, Falluna Moon was a whole separate kind of beautiful at night. Kirby’s always felt a sense of comfort in deep blue and purple colors.. They figured it was from their childhood with Meta Knight. Nova, did they miss Meta Knight! They really did hope that Meta was okay back home. Him, and King Dedede too, of course. 

Kirby remembers all those years ago, when they all used to live together in Castle Dedede.. How they used to spend hours in the royal gardens. It’s been much too long since Kirby’s been in those gardens. The last time they went was with Taranza soon after the incident with Queen Sectonia. Strangely enough, King Dedede invited him over. Taranza said the flowers helped him forget how much he missed her. He loved the flowers so much that he didn’t even think of her once until he left. ..Kirby hopes Taranza’s doing better now.

They miss the visits to the Halberd. It hasn’t been all that long since Kirby’s been on the Halberd, but.. It wasn’t for good reason. Saving your planet from a giant wish-comet while your both your parents are most likely in extreme pain causes a lot of stress. Kirby can hardly see the Halberd without remembering that awful, awful time. At least a friend came out of it. They wouldn’t have met Susie without that! But.. Maybe it would’ve been better off if they hadn’t met Susie at all. Kirby knows that’s what Meta Knight thinks. Those two probably won’t ever like each other. 

How could Kirby forget their first Smash tournament! Meta Knight and King Dedede were so nervous. They couldn’t stop arguing over if Kirby should go or not. Of course, they eventually came to an agreement eventually, but those two just couldn’t agree. ‘Let them go and hone their skills,’ Meta Knight would say, and King Dedede would reply: ‘Are you crazy? They’ll get killed!’ All that fighting was stressful, they bet. 

Kirby walked in a daze, reminiscing until Marx comes up and taps them on the shoulder, snapping them out of their daydream. 

“Kirbs, what’re you doing out here? You’re like, fifteen minutes away from camp.” Marx said, a tinge of worry in his voice. Kirby flushed in embarrassment, they didn’t mean to worry anyone! 

“Ah, sorry! Just spaced out I guess..” Kirby replied sleepily, still a little dazed. Marx couldn’t help but smile at Kirby’s sleepy voice. So cute! So sweet..!! 

“C’mon, let’s go back to camp, you need some rest! How’re you gonna lead the Star Allies without eight hours, huh?” Marx wrapped an arm around Kirby’s shoulders and walked them back to camp. _Marx is right,_ Kirby thought, _There’s so much to do. I don’t even know what I’m getting all of us into.. But I’ve got to face it with strength. I won’t be all too strong if I’m all sleepy._

—

The fight is over. Popstar is saved, everyone is safe, and Hyness, the Jambastion Mages, and Void Termina are no longer posing a threat to the universe. Kirby hasn’t felt quite right since their first encounter with Hyness. Especially not after Void Termina. Something about that last battle left a bad taste in their mouth. A spicy, raw taste that won’t leave no matter what. Kirby finds themselves in the gardens at Castle Dedede again, gently tracing their fingers over the petals of the daffodils. What is it about these flowers that makes them feel so weird? Are they allergic? ..Is that why they can’t stop crying now that they’re around them? Kirby finds it kind of funny that the daffodils is what broke them. Great Savior of Popstar, Warrior of the Stars, cries at the sight of a gentle yellow flower. How silly. 

“Kirby? You okay out here, kid?” Kirby hears a voice from behind them. King Dedede. _He must’ve heard me sniffling out here,_ Kirby thinks to themselves. 

“Yeah, I’m fine.. Why?” Kirby says, tears evident in their voice. King Dedede sighs. Who taught them to lie like that? He walks up to Kirby and sits down next to them, not saying a word. The silence seems to guide Kirby to talk. 

“It’s just.. Hard to be me. Everyone relies on me to save them and to make everything okay, but I don’t know what to do half the time. And.. And I can never save everyone anyways.” They seemed much quieter on the last sentence, like they didn’t want to hear it themselves. 

“It’s unfair that the whole universe relies on a kid to save ‘em every time somethin’ goes wrong. You’ve barely even gotten a chance to live, and now yer out savin’ the world every few months.” King Dedede replies. Kirby sighs, wiping their tears. Dedede thinks for a short moment before pulling Kirby into his arms. He remembers when Kirby was little, and nearly swallowed by his arms. And now, Kirby even bigger than Meta Knight! Meta’s never really been all that big, but Kirby used to be nearly half the size of Meta, and now he’s almost double his height. It really has been a long time, hasn’t it? Kirby breathes out. They needed a good ol’ fashioned Dedede hug. Things will be okay. Things always end up okay, right? The Star Allies have got Kirby’s back, their friends have got their back, and Meta Knight and King Dedede especially have their back.

The daffodils calmly blow in the gentle spring breeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy one year lads!! i know i havent updated all that much but i really wanted to do something for the anniversary of the first chapter. thank you all for the kudos, comments, and bookmarks!!   
>  high five, low five, all that. heres to another year!


End file.
